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THE 

DREAM    OF    GER0NTIU3 


THE 

DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

BY 

CARDINAL    NEWMAN 

NEW   EDITION 
THIRTY-SIXTH    IMPRESSION 


LONGMANS,  GREEN,  AND  CO. 

39  PATERNOSTER  ROW,  LONDON 
NEW  YORK,  BOMBAY,  AND  CALCUTTA 

1907 

All    rii^hfs   reserved 


FFL\TRI    DESIDER.\TISSIMO 

JOANNI    JOSEPH    GORDON 

ORATORIl  S.P.N.  PRESBYTERO 

CUJUS    ANIMA    IN    RIIFRIGERIUM 

J.  H.  N 

In  die  Contni. 
Omn.   Fid.   Def. 

1865 


2050193 


THE   DREAM    OF    GERONTIUS 

Gerontius 

JESU,  MARIA- 1  am  near  to  death, 
And  Thou  art   calUng   me  ;    I    know    il 
now — 
Not  by  the  token  of  this  faltering  breath, 
This  chill  at   heart,   this   dampness  on  my 
brow, 
(jesu,  have  mercy  !  Mary,  pray  for  me  !)- 
"  'Tis  this  new  feeling,  never  felt  before, 
(Be  with  me,  Lord,  in  my  extremity  !) 

That  I  am  going,  that  I  am  no  more. 
'Tis  this  strange  innermost  abandonment, 
(Lover   of  souls!    great    God!    I    look 
Thee,) 
This  emptying  out  of  each  constituent 

And  natural  force,  by  which  I  come  to  be 
Pray  for  me,  O  my  friends  ;  a  visitant 


to 


8  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Is  knocking  his  dire  summons  at  my  door, 
The  like  of  whom,  to  scare  me  and  to  daunt. 

Has  never,  never  come  to  me  before  ; 
*Tis  death,— O  loving  friends,  your  prayers  !— 

'tis  he  !  .   .   .   . 
As  though  my  very  being  had  given  way. 

As  though  I  was  no  more  a  substance  now, 
And  could  fall  back  on  nought  to  be  my  stay, 

(Help,  loving  Lord  !  Thou  my  sole  Refuge, 
Thou,) 
And  turn  no  whither,  but  must  needs  decay 

And  drop  from  out  the  universal  frame 
Into  that  shapeless,  scopeless,  blank  abyss, 

That  utter  nothingness,  of  which  I  came  : 
This  is  it  that  has  come  to  pass  in  me  ; 
O  horror  !  this  it  is,  my  dearest,  this  ; 
So  pray  for   me,  my  friends,  who   have   not 
strength  to  pray. 

Assistants 

Kyrie  eleison,  Christe  eleison,  Kyrie  eleison. 
Holy  Mary,  pray  for  him. 
All  holy  Angels,  pray  for  him. 
Choirs  of  the  righteous,  pray  for  him. 


THE  DREAM  OE  CEROS'TIUS  g 

Holy  Abraham,  pray  for  him. 
St.  John  Baptist,  St.  Joseph,  pray  for  him. 
St.  Teter,  St.  Paul,  St.  Andrew,  St.  John, 
All  Apostles,  all  Evangelists,  pray  for  him. 
All  holy  Disciples  of  the  Lord,  pray  for  him. 
All  holy  Innocents,  pray  for  him. 
All  holy  Martyrs,  all  holy  Confessors, 
All  holy  Hermits,  all  holy  Virgins, 
All  ye  Saints  of  God,  pray  for  him. 

Ge  RON  TIL'S 

Rouse  thee,    my  fainting   soul,  and    play  the 
man  ; 

And  through  such  waning  span 
Of  life  and  thought  as  still  has  to  be  trod, 

Prepare  to  meet  thy  God. 
And  while  the  storm  of  that  bewilderment 

Is  for  a  season  spent, 
And,  ere  afresh  the  ruin  on  thee  fall, 

Use  well  the  interval. 

Assistants 

Be  merciful,  be  gracious;  spare  him,  Lord. 
Be  merciful,  be  gracious  ;  Lord,  deliver  him. 


THE  DREAM  OF  GEKONTIUS 

From  the  sins  that  are  past  ; 
From  Thy  frown  and  Thine  iie 

From  the  perils  of  dying  ; 

From  any  complying 

With  sin,  or  denying 

His  God,  or  relying 
On  self,  at  the  last ; 

From  the  nethermost  fire  ; 
From  all  that  is  evil  ; 
From  power  of  the  devil ; 
Thy  servant  deliver, 
For  once  and  for  ever. 

By  Thy  birth,  and  by  Thy  Cross, 
Rescue  him  from  endless  loss ; 
By  Thy  death  and  burial, 
Save  him  from  a  final  fall ; 
By  Thy  rising  from  the  tomb, 
By  Thy  mounting  up  above, 
By  the  Spirit's  gracious  love, 
Save  him  in  the  day  of  doom. 


THE  DKEAM   OF  CEKO.VTI US  n 

Gerontius 

Sanctus  fortis,  Sanctus  Dcus, 

De  profundis  oro  te, 
Miserere,  Judex  mens, 

Parce  mihi,  Domine. 
Firmly  I  believe  and  truly 

God  is  Three,  and  God  is  One  ; 
And  I  next  acknowledge  duly 

Manhood  taken  by  the  Son. 
And  I  trust  and  hope  most  fully 

In  that  Manhood  crucified  ; 
And  each  thought  and  deed  unruly 

Do  to  death,  as  He  has  died. 
Simply  to  His  grace  and  wholly 

Light  and  life  and  strength  belong, 
And  I  love,  supremely,  solely. 

Him  the  holy,  Him  the  strong. 
Sanctus  fortis,  Sanctus  Deus, 

De  profundis  oro  te, 
Miserere,  Judex  meus, 

Parce  mihi,  Domine. 
And  I  hold  in  veneration. 

For  the  love  of  Him  alone, 


12  THE   DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Holy  Church,  as  His  creation, 

And  her  teachings,  as  His  own. 
And  I  take  with  joy  whatever 

Now  besets  me,  pain  or  fear, 
And  with  a  strong  will  I  sever 

All  the  ties  which  bind  me  here. 
Adoration  aye  be  given, 

With  and  through  the  angelic  host. 
To  the  God  of  earth  and  heaven. 

Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
Sanctus  fortis,  Sanctus  Deus, 

De  profundis  oro  te. 
Miserere,  Judex  meus, 

Mortis  in  discrimine. 

I  can  no  more ;  for  now  it  comes  again, 

That  sense  of  ruin,  which  is  worse  than  pain. 

That  masterful  negation  and  collapse 

Of  all  that  makes  me  man  ;  as  though  I  bent 

Over  the  dizzy  brink 

Of  some  sheer  infinite  descent ; 

Or  worse,  as  though 

Down,  down  for  ever  I  was  falling  through 

The  solid  framework  of  created  things, 


THE  DREAM  OE  CERONTIUS  13 

And  needs  must  sink  and  sink 

Into  the  vast  abyss.     And,  crueller  still, 

A  fierce  and  restless  fright  begins  to  fill 

The  mansion  of   my  soul.     And,  worse  and 

worse, 
Some  bodily  form  of  ill 
Floats  on  the  wind,  with  many  a  loathsome 

curse 
Tainting  the  hallowed    air,  and  laughs,  and 

flaps 
Its  hideous  wings, 

And  makes  me  wild  with  horror  and  dismay. 
O  Jesu,  help  !  pray  for  me,  Mary,  pray  ! 
Some  angel,  Jesu  !   such  as  came  to  Thee 

In  Thine  own  agony 

Mary,  pray  for    me.      Joseph,    pray  for  n^.e. 
Mary,  pray  for  me. 

Assistants 

Rescue  him,  O  Lord,  in  this  his  evil  hour. 
As  of  old  so  many  by  Thy  gracious  power : — 

(Amen.) 
Enoch   and  Elias  from    the  common    doom  ; 

(Amen.) 


14  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

N.)-    from    the    waters    in    a    saving   home  ; 
(Amen.) 

Abraham  from  ih' abounding  giiilt  of  Heathen- 
esse ;  (Amen.) 

Jul)  from  all  his  multiform  and  fell  distress; 
(Amen.) 

Isaac,    when  his  father's   knife  was  raised  to 
slay  ;  (Amen. ) 

Lot  from   burning  Sodom    on   its  judgment- 
day  ;  (Amen.) 

Moses  from  the  land  of  bondage  and  despair ; 
(Amen.) 

Daniel   from  the    hungry  lions  in  their  lair  ; 
(Amen.) 

And  the   Children   Three   amid  the  furnace- 
flame  ;  (Amen.) 

Chaste   Susanna    from    the   slander   and    the 
shame  ;  (Amen.) 

David  from    Golia   and    the   wrath  of  Saul ; 
(Amen.) 

And  the  two  Apostles  from  their  prison-thrall ; 
(Amen.) 

Thecla  from  her  torments  ;  (Amen.) 

— so,  to  show  Thy  power, 

Rescue  this  Thy  servant  in  his  evil  hour. 


THE  DREAM  OE  GERONTIUS  15 

Gerontius 

Novissinia  hora  est  ;  and  I  fain  would  sleep, 
The    pain    has   wearied    me.   .  .  .   Into    Thy 

hands, 
O  Lord,  into  Thy  hands  .... 

The  Priest 

Proficiscere,  anima  Christiana,  de  hoc  mundo  ! 
Go  forth  upon  thy  journey,  Christian  soul  ! 
Go  from  this  world  !      Go,  in    the   name  of 

God 
The  omnipotent  Father,  who  created  thee  ! 
Go,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord, 
Son  of  the  living  God,  who  bled  for  thee  ! 
Go,  in  the  Name  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
Hath  been  poured  out  on  thee  !     Go,  in  the 

name 
Of  Angels  and  Archangels  ;  in  the  name 
Of  Thrones  and  Dominations  ;  in  the  name 
Of  Princedoms  and    of  Powers  ;   and  in  the 

name 
Of  Cherubim  and  Seraphim,  go  forth  I 
Go,  in  the  name  of  Patriarchs  and  Prophets  ; 


.6  niE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

And  of  Apostles  and  Evangelists, 
(^f  Martyrs  and  Confessors  ;  in  the  name 
Of  holy  Monks  and  Hermits  ;  in  the  name 
Of  holy  Virgins  ;  and  all  Saints  of  God, 
Both  men  and  women,  go  !  Go  on  thy  course  ; 
And  may  thy  place  to-day  be  found  in  peace, 
And  may  thy  dwelling  be  the  Holy  Mount 
Of  Sion  :— in  the  Name  of  Christ,  our  Lord. 

§  2 
Soul  of  Gerontius 

I  went  to  sleep  ;  and  now  I  am  refreshed. 

A  strange  refreshment :  for  I  feel  in  me 

An  inexpressive  lightness,  and  a  sense 

Of  freedom,  as  I  were  at  length  myself. 

And  ne'er  had  been  before.     How  still  it  is  ! 

I  hear  no  more  the  busy  beat  of  time. 

No,  nor  my  fluttering  breath,  nor  struggling 

pulse  ; 
Nor  does  one  moment  differ  from  the  next. 
I  had  a  dream  ;  yes  : — someone  softly  said 
"He's  gone";  and  then  a  sigh  went  round 

the  room. 


THE   DREAM  OE  CERONTIUS  17 

And  then  I  surely  licard  a  pricslly  voice 

Cry  "  Subvcnite  ;"  and  they  knelt  in  prayer. 

I  seem  to  hear  him  still  ;  but  thin  and  low, 

And  fainter  and  more  faint  the  accents  come, 

As  at  an  ever-widening  interval. 

Ah  !  whence  is  this  ?    What  is  this  severance  ^ 

This  silence  pours  a  solitariness 

Into  the  very  essence  of  my  soul  ; 

And  the  deep  rest,  so  soothing  and  so  sweet, 

I  lath  something  too  of  sternness  and  of  pain, 

For  it  drives   back    my  thoughts    upon  their 

spring 
By  a  strange  introversion,  and  perforce 
I  now  begin  to  feed  upon  myself. 
Because  I  have  nought  else  to  feed  upon. 

Am  I  alive  or  dead  ?     I  am  not  dead, 
But  in  the  body  still  ;  for  I  possess 
A  sort  of  confidence  which  clings  to  me, 
That  each  particular  organ  holds  its  place 
As  heretofore,  combining  with  the  rest 
Into  one  symmetry,  that  wraps  me  round, 
And    makes   me   man  ;    and    surely    I    could 
move, 

B 


i8  THE  DREAM  OF  (iEEOiV/J US 

Did  I  but  will  it,  every  part  of  me. 
And  yet  I  cannot  to  my  sense  bring  home, 
By  very  trial,  that  I  have  the  power. 
'Tis  strange  ;  I  cannot  stir  a  hand  or  foot, 
I  cannot  make  my  fingers  or  my  lips 
By  mutual  pressure  witness  each  to  each, 
Nor  by  the  eyelid's  instantaneous  stroke 
Assure  myself  I  have  a  body  still. 
Nor  do  I  know  my  very  attitude, 
N.or  if  I  stand,  or  lie,  or  sit,  or  kneel. 

So  much  I  know,  not  knowing  how  I  know. 
That  the  vast  universe,  where  I  have  dwelt. 
Is  quitting  me,  or  I  am  quitting  it. 
Or  I  or  it  is  rushing  on  the  wings 
Of  light  or  lightning  on  an  onward  course, 
And  we  e'en  now  are  million  miles  apart. 
Yet  .   .  is  this  peremptory  severance 
Wrought  out  in  lengthening  measurements  of 

space. 
Which   grow    and    multiply    by    speed    and 

time  ? 
Or  am  I  traversing  infinity 
By  endless  subdivision,  hurrying  back 


THE   DREAM  OE  C,  KRONE  I  US 

From  hnile  towards  infinitesimal, 
Thus  dying  out  of  the  expansed  world  ? 

Another  marvel  ;  someone  has  me  fast 
Within  his  ample  palm  ;  'tis  not  a  grasp 
Such  as  they  use  on  earth,  but  all  around 
Over  the  surface  of  my  subtle  being, 
As  though  I  were  a  sphere,  and  capable 
To  be  accosted  thus,  a  uniform 
And  gentle  pressure  tells  me  I  am  not 
Self-moving,  but  borne  forward  on  my  way. 
And  hark  !  I  hear  a  singing  ;  yet  in  sooth 
I  cannot  of  that  music  rightly  say 
Whether  I  hear  or  touch  or  taste  the  tones. 
Oh  what  a  heart-subduing  melody  ! 

Angel 

My  work  is  done, 
My  task  is  o'er. 
And  so  I  come, 
Taking  it  home, 
For  the  crown  is  won. 
Alleluia, 
For  evermore. 


20  THE   DREAM  OF  CERONTIUS 

My  Father  gave 
In  charge  to  me 
This  child  of  earth 
E'en  from  its  birth, 
To  serve  and  save, 
Alleluia, 
And  saved  is  he. 

This  child  of  clay 
To  me  was  given. 
To  rear  and  train 
By  sorrow  and  pain 
In  the  narrow  way, 
Alleluia, 
From  earth  to  heaven. 

Soui. 

It  is  a  member  of  that  family 

Of  wondrous  beings,  \\  ho,  ere  the  worlds  were 

made. 
Millions  of  ages  back,  have  stood  around 
The    throne   of  God  : — he  never  has  known 

sin  ; 
But  through  those  cycles  all  but  infinite. 


THE  DREAM  OE  GEROXTIUS  .i 

Has  had  a  strong  and  pure  ccleslial  life, 
And    bore  to  gaze  on  th'  unveiled  face  of  Cod 
And  drank  from  the  eternal  Fount  of  truth, 
And  served  Him  with  a  keen  ecstatic  love. 
Hark  I  he  begins  again. 

Anc.el 

O  Lord,  iiow  wonderful  in  depth  and  height, 
l^Lil  most  in   man,   how   wt)nderful   Thmi 
art  ! 
With  what  a  love,  what  soft  persuasive  miglit 
\'ictorious  o'er  the  stubborn  fleshly  heart. 
Thy  tale  complete  of  saints  Thou  dost  pro- 
vide, 
To  fill  the  thrones  which  angels  lost  through 
pride  ! 

lie  lay  a  grovelling  babe  upon  the  ground. 
Polluted  in  the  blood  of  his  first  sire, 
With   his   whole   essence   shattered    and    un- 
sound, 
And,    coiled  around  his  heart,   a  demon 
dire. 


THE   DREAM   OF  CEROXTIUS 

Which  was  not  of  his  nature,  but  had  skill 
To  bind  and  form  his  opening  mind  to  ill. 

Then  was  I  sent  from  heaven  to  set  right 

The  balance  in  his  soul  of  truth  and  sin, 
And  I  have  waged  a  long  relentless  fight, 

Resolved  that    death-environed    spirit    to 
win, 
Which  from  its  fallen   state,   when   all  was 

lost, 
Had  been  repurchased  at  so  dread  a  cost. 

Oh  what  a  shifting  parti-coloured  scene 

Of  hope  and  fear,  of  triumph  and  dismay. 
Of  recklessness  and  penitence,  has  been 

The  history  of  that  dreary,  lifelong  fray  ! 
And  oh  the  grace  to  nerve  him  and  to  lead. 
How    patient,    prompt,    and    lavish   at   his 
need  ! 

O    man,    strange    composite   of  heaven    and 
earth  ! 
Majesty    dwarfed    to    baseness  !    fragrant 
flower 


THE  DREAM  OE  CERONTIUS  23 

Running    to    poisonous    seed  !    and    seeming 

worth 
Cloking    corruption  !     weakness    mastering 

power  ! 
Who  never  art  so  near  to  crime  and  shame, 
As  when  thou  hast  achieved  some  deed  of 

name  ; — 

IIow  should  ethereal  natures  comprehend 
A  thing  made  up  of  spirit  and  of  clay, 
Were  we  not  tasked  to  nurse  it  and  to  tend. 
Linked  one  to  one  throughout  its  mortal 
day  ? 
More    than     the    Seraph    in    his    height    of 

place, 
The    Angel-guardian    knows   and    loves    the 
ransomed  race. 

Soul 

Now  know  I  surely  that  1  am  at  length 
Out  of  the  body  :  had  I  part  with  earth, 
I  never  could  have  drunk  those  accents  in, 
And  not  have  worshipped  as  a  god  the  voice 
That  was  so  musical  ;  but  now  I  am 


24  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

So  whole  of  heart,  so  calm,  so  self-] 
With  such  a  full  content,  and  with  a  sense 
So  apprehensive  and  discriminant, 
As  no  temptation  can  intoxicate. 
Nor  have  I  even  terror  at  the  thought 
That  I  am  clasped  by  such  a  saintliness. 

Angel 

All  praise  to  Ilim,  at  whose  sublime  decree 
The   last    are    first,   the  first  become  the 
last; 
By  whom  the  suppliant  prisoner  is  set  free, 

By   whom    proud    first-borns    from    their 
thrones  are  cast  ; 
Who  raises  Mary  to  be  Queen  of  heaven, 
While  Lucifer  is  left,  condemned  and   un- 
forgiven. 

§3 
Soul 

I  will  address  him.     Mighty  one,  my  Lord, 
My  Guardian  Spirit,  all  hail  ! 


THE  DREAM  OE  GEROXTIUS  25 

Angel 

All  hail,  my  child  ! 
My  child  and   brother,  hail  !    what    vvouldest 
thou  ? 

Soul 

I  would  have  nothing  but  to  speak  with  thee 
For   speaking's   sake.     I    wish    to    hold  with 

thee 
Conscious  communion  ;  though  I  fain    would 

know 
A  maze  of  things,  w^ere  it  but  meet  to  ask, 
And  not  a  curiousness. 

Angel 

You  cannot  now 
Cherish  a  wish  which  ought  not  to  be  wished. 

Soul 

Then  I  will  speak.      I  ever  had  believed 
That  on  the  moment  when  the  struggling  soul 
Quitted  its  mortal  case,  forthwith  it  fell 
Under  the  awful  Presence  of  its  God, 


o6  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIU.'i 

There  to  be  judged  and  sent  to  its  own  place. 
What  lets  me  now  from  going  to  my  Lord  ? 

Angel 

Thou  art  not  let  ;  but  with  extrcmest  speed 

Art  hurrying  to  the  Just  and  Holy  Judge  : 

For  scarcely  art  thou  disembodied  yet. 

Divide  a  moment,  as  men  measure  time, 

Into  its  million-million-millionlh  part, 

Vet  even  less  than  that  the  interval 

Since    thou    didst    leave   the   body ;    and  the 

priest 
Cried  *'  Subvenite,"  and  they  fell  to  prayer  ; 
Nay,  scarcely  yet  have  they  begun  to  pray. 

For  spirits   and    men    by   different   standards 

mete 
The  less  and  greater  in  the  flow  of  time. 
By  sun  and  moon,  primeval  ordinances — 
By  stars  which  rise  and  set  harmoniously — 
By  the  recurring  seasons,  and  the  swing, 
This  way  and  that,  of  the  suspended  rod 
Precise  and  punctual,  men  divide  the  hours, 
Equal,  continuous,  for  their  common  use. 


THE  DREAM  OE  GEROKTIUS 

Not  so  with  us  in  the  immaterial  world  ; 

But  intervals  in  their  succession 

Are  measured  by  the  living  thought  alone, 

And  grow  or  wane  with  its  intensity. 

And  time  is  not  a  common  property  ; 

But  v/hat  is  long  is  short,  and  swift  is  slow, 

And  near  is  distant,  as  received  and  grasped 

By  this  mind  and  by  that,  and  every  one 

Is  standard  of  his  own  chronology. 

And  memory  lacks  its  natural  resting-points 

Of  years,  and  centuries,  and  periods. 

It  is  thy  very  energy  of  thought 

Which  keeps  thee  from  thy  God. 

Soul 

Dear  Angel,  say. 
Why  have  I  now  no  fear  at  meeting  Him  ? 
Along  my  earthly  life,  the  thought  of  death 
And  judgment  was  to  me  most  terrible. 
I  had  it  aye  before  me,  and  I  saw 
The  Judge  severe  e'en  in  the  crucifix. 
Now  that  the  hour  is  come,  my  fear  is  fled  ; 
And  at  this  balance  of  my  destiny, 


23  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Now  close  upon  me,  I  can  forward  look 
With  a  serenest  joy. 


Angel 

It  is  because 
Then  thou  didst  fear,  that  now  thou  dost  not 

fear. 
Thou  hast  forestalled  the  agony,  and  so 
For  thee  the  bitterness  of  death  is  past. 
Also,  because  already  in  thy  soul 
The  judgment  is  begun.     That  day  of  doom, 
One  and  the  same  for  the  collected  world — 
That  solemn  consummation  for  all  flesh, 
Is,  in  the  case  of  each,  anticipate 
Upon  his  death  ;  and,  as  the  last  great  day 
In  the  particular  judgment  is  rehearsed, 
So  now  too,  ere  thou  comest  to  the  Throne, 
A  presage  falls  upon  thee,  as  a  ray 
Straight  from  the  Judge,  expressive  of  thy  lot. 
That  calm  and  joy  uprising  in  thy  soul 
Is  first-fruit  to  thee  of  thy  recompense, 
And  heaven  begun. 


THE  DKKAM  OF  CKRONTIUS  29 

§4 

Soul 

But  hark  !  upon  my  sense 
Comes  a  fierce  hubbub,  which  would  make  me 

fear, 
Could  I  be  frighted. 

Angel 

We  are  now  arrived 
Close   on    the  judgment   court  ;    that   sullen 

howl 
Is  from  the  demons  w  ho  assemble  there. 
It  is  the  middle  region,  where  of  old 
Satan  appeared  among  the  sons  of  God, 
To  cast  his  jibes  and  scoffs  at  holy  Job. 
So  now  his  legions  throng  the  vestibule, 
Hungry  and  wild,  to  claim  their  property, 
And  gather  souls  for  hell.     Hist  lo  their  cry. 

Soul 
How  sour  and  how  uncouth  a  dissonance  ! 


THE  DREAM  Or    GERONTWS 

Dkmons 
Low-born  clods 

Of  brute  earth, 
They  aspire 
To  become  gods, 

By  a  new  birth, 
And  an  extra  grace, 

And  a  score  of  merits. 
As  if  aught 
Could  stand  in  place 

Of  the  high  thought, 
And  the  glance  of  fire 
Of  the  great  spirits, 
The  powers  blest, 

The  lords  by  right. 

The  primal  owners, 

Of  the  proud  dwelling 
And  realm  of  light, — 
Dispossessed, 
Aside  thrust. 

Chucked  down. 
By  the  sheer  might 
Of  a  despot's  will. 

Of  a  tyrant's  frowni 


THE   DREAM  OF  GEROXTrUS  3> 

Who  after  expelling 
Their  hosts,  gave, 
Triuiii[)Iiatit  still, 
And  still  unjust, 

Each  forfeit  crown 
To  psalm -droners, 
And  canting  groaners. 

To  every  slave, 
And  pious  cheat, 

And  crawling  knave, 
Who  licked  the  dust 

Under  his  feet. 

Angel 
It  is  the  restless  panting  of  their  being  ; 
Like  beasts  of  prey,  who,  caged  within  their 

bars, 
In  a  deep  hideous  purring  have  their  life. 
And  an  incessant  pacing  to  and  fro. 

Demons 
The  mind  bold 

And  independent. 

The  purpose  free. 


THE  DREAM  OE  CERONTIUS 

So  we  are  told, 
Must  not  think 

To  have  the  ascendant. 

What's  a  saint  ? 
One  whose  breath 

Doth  the  air  taint 
Before  his  death  ; 

A  bundle  of  bones, 
Which  fools  adore, 

lla  !  ha  ! 
When  life  is  o'er. 
Which  rattle  and  stink, 

E'en  in  the  flesh. 
We  cry  his  pardon  ! 

No  flesh  hath  he  ; 

Ha  !  ha  ! 
For  it  hath  died, 
'Tis  crucified 
Day  by  day, 
Afresh,  afresh, 

Ila  !  ha  ! 
That  holy  clay, 

Ila  !  ha  ! 
This  gains  guerdon, 


THE  DREAM  OF  CEEONT/US  33 

So  priestlings  prate, 
I  la!  ha  ! 
Before  the  Judge, 

And  pleads  and  atones 
For  spite  and  grudge, 

And  bigot  mood. 
And  envy  and  hate. 

And  greed  of  blood. 

Soul 

How  impotent  they  are  !  and  yet  on  earth 
They  have  repute    for    wondrous  power  and 

skill; 
And  books  describe,  how  that  the  very  face 
Of  the  Evil  One,  if  seen,  would  have  a  force 
Even  to  freeze  the  blood,  and  choke  the  life 
Of  him  who  saw  it. 

Angel 

In  thy  trial -state 
Thou  hadst  a  traitor  nestling  close  at  home. 
Connatural,  who  with  the  powers  of  hell 
Was  leagued,  and  of  thy  senses  kept  the  keys, 

C 


3,  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

And  to  that  deadliest  foe  unlocked  thy  heart. 

And  therefore  is  it,  in  respect  of  man, 

Those  fallen  ones  show  so  majestical. 

But,  when  some  child  of  grace,  angel  or  saint. 

Pure  and  upright  in  his  integrity 

Of  nature,  meets  the  demons  on  their  raid, 

They  scud  away  as  cowards  from  the  fight. 

Nay,  oft  hath  holy  hermit  in  his  cell, 

Not  yet  disburdened  of  mortality, 

Mocked  at  their  threats  and  warlike  over- 
tures ; 

Or,  dying,  when  they  swarmed,  like  flies, 
around, 

Defied  them,  and  departed  to  hi3  Judge. 

Demons 

Virtue  and  vice, 

A  knave's  pretence, 
'Tis  all  the  same  ; 
Ha  !  ha  ! 

Dread  of  hell-fire, 
Of  the  venomous  flame, 

A  coward's  plea. 


THE   DK/'.A.U  O/'    CEKONTIUS  33 

Give  him  his  price, 

Saint  though  he  be, 

lla  !  ha  ! 

From  shrewd  good  sense 

He'll  slave  for  hire  ; 
Ha  !  ha  ! 

And  does  but  aspire 
To  the  heaven  above 

With  sordid  aim, 
And  not  from  love. 

Ha  !  ha  ! 

Soul 

I  see  not  those  false  spirits  ;  shall  I  see 

My  dearest  Master,  when  I  reach  His  throne  ; 

Or  hear,  at  least,  His  awful  judgment-word 

With  personal  intonation,  as  I  now 

Hear  thee,  not  see  thee,  Angel  ?     Hitherto 

All  has  been  darkness  since  I  left  the  earth  ; 

Shall  I  remain  thus  sight  bereft  all  through 

iNly  penance  time  ?     If  so,  how  comes  it  then 

That    I    have   hearing    still,    and   taste,    and 

touch. 
Yet  not  a  glimmer  of  that  princely  sen;e 


36  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Which    l)incls  ideas  in  one,  and  makes  them 
live  ? 

Angel 

Nor  touch,  nor  taste,  nor  hearing  hast   thou 

now  ; 
Thou  livest  in  a  world  of  signs  and  types, 
The  presentations  of  most  holy  truths, 
Living    and    strong,    which    now    encompass 

thee. 
A  disembodied  soul,  thou  hast  by  right 
No  converse  with  aught  else  beside  thyself ; 
But,  lest  so  stern  a  solitude  should  load 
And  break    thy  being,  in    mercy  are    vouch- 
safed 
Some  lower  measures  of  perception. 
Which   seem     to    thee,    as    though    through 

channels  brought, 
Through  ear,  or  nerves,  or  palate,  which  are 

gone. 
And   thou  art  wrapped    and  swathed  around 

in  dreams. 
Dreams  that  are  true,  yet  enigmatical ; 
For  the  belongings  of  thy  present  stale, 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  37 

Save  through  such  symbols,   come  not  home 

to  thee. 
And  thus  thou  tell'st  of  space,  and  time,  and 

size, 
Of  fragrant,  soUd,  bitter,  musical. 
Of  fire,  and  of  refreshment  after  fire  ; 
As  (let  me  use  similitude  of  earth, 
To   aid    thee    in    the    knowledge   thou    dost 

ask)~ 
As  ice  which  blisters  may  be  said  to  burn. 
Nor  hast  thou  now  extension,  with  its  parts 
Correlative, — long  habit  cozens  thee, — 
Nor   power   to    move    thyself,    nor   limbs   to 

move. 
Hast  thou  not  heard  of  those,  who,  after  loss 
Of  hand  or  foot,  still  cried  that  they  had  pains 
In  hand  or  foot,  as  though  they  had  it  still  ? 
So  is  it  now  with  thee,  who  hast  not  lost 
Thy  hand   or   foot,  but   all    which   made   up 

man  ; 
So  will  it  be,  until  the  joyous  day 
Of  resurrection,  when  thou  wilt  regain 
All  thou  hast  lost,  new-made  and  glorified. 
I  low,  even  now,  the  consummated  Saints 


38  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

See  God  in  heaven,  I  may  not  explicate. 
Meanwhile  let  it  suffice  thee  to  possess 
Such  means  of  converse  as  are  granted  thee, 
Though,  till  that  Beatific  Vision  thou  art  blind; 
For  e'en  thy  purgatory,  which  comes  like  fire, 
Is  fire  without  its  light. 

Soul 

His  will  be  done  ! 
I  am  not  worthy  e'er  to  see  again 
The  face  of  day  ;  far  less  His  countenance 
Who  is  the  very  sun.     Nathless,  in  life, 
When  I  looked  forward  to  my  purgatory, 
It  ever  was  my  solace  to  believe 
That,  ere  I  plunged  amid  th'  avenging  flame, 
I  had  one  sight  of  Ilim  to  strengthen  me. 

Angel 

Nor  rash  nor  vain  is  that  presentiment ; 
Yes,— for   one   moment    ihou    shalt   see   thy 

Lord. 
Thus  will  it  be  :  what  time  thou  art  arraigned 
Before  the  dread  tribunal,  and  ihy  lot 
Is  cast  for  ever,  should  it  be  to  sit 


THE   DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  39 

On  His  right  hand  among  His  pure  elect, 
Tlien  siglit,  or  that  wliich  lo  the  soul  is  sight, 
As  by  a  ligluning-flash,  will  come  to  thee, 
And  thou  shalt  see,  amid  the  dark  profound. 
Whom  thy  soul    loveth,  and  would    fain    ap- 
proach,— 
One    moment;     but    lliou    knowest    not,    my 

child, 
What  thou  dost  ask  :  that  sight  of  the  Most 

Fair 
Will  gladden  thee,  but  it  will  pierce  thee  too. 

Soul 

Thou  speakest  darkly.  Angel  !  and  an  awe 
Falls  on  me,  and  a  fear  lest  I  be  rash. 

Angel 

There  was  a  mortal,  who  is  now  above 
In  the  mid  glory  :  he,  when  near  to  die. 
Was  given  communion  with  the  Crucified, — 
Such,    that    the    Master's   very    wounds   were 
stamped 


40  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Upon  his  flesh  ;  and,  from  the  agony 

Which  thrilled  through  body  and   soul  in  that 

embrace 
Learn  that  the  flame  of  the  Everlasting  Love 
Doth  burn  ere  it  transform.     .      .     . 

§  5 
.     .     .     Hark  to  those  sounds  ! 
They  come  of  tender  beings  angelical, 
Least  and  most  childlike  of  the  sons  of  God. 

First  Choir  of  Angelicals 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height, 
And  in  the  depth  be  praise  : 

In  all  His  words  most  wonderful ; 
Most  sure  in  all  His  ways  ! 

To  us  His  elder  race  He  gave 

To  battle  and  to  win, 
Without  the  chastisement  of  pain. 

Without  the  soil  of  sin. 

The  younger  son  He  willed  to  be 
A  marvel  in  his  birth  : 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  41 

Spirit  and  flesh  his  parents  were  ; 
His  home  was  heaven  and  earth. 

The     Eternal    blessed     His    child,    and 
armed, 

And  sent  him  hence  afar, 
To  serve  as  champion  in  the  field 

Of  elemental  war. 

To  be  His  Viceroy  in  the  world 

Of  matter,  and  of  sense  ; 
Upon  the  frontier,  towards  the  foe, 

A  resolute  defence. 

Angel 
We  now  have  passed  the  gate,  and  are  within 
The  House   of  Judgment  ;    and    whereas   on 

earth 
Temples  and  palaces  are  formed  of  parts 
Costly  and  rare,  but  all  material, 
So  in  the  world  of  spirits  nought  is  found, 
To  mould  withal  and  form  into  a  whole. 
But  what  is  immaterial ;  and  thus 
Tlie  smallest  portions  of  this  edifice, 
Cornice,  or  frieze,  or  balustrade,  or  stair. 
The  very  pavement  is  made  up  of  life — 


THE  DREAM  OF  CERONTIUS 

Of  holy,  Idcssed,  and  immortal  beings, 
Who  hymn  their  Maker's  praise  continually. 

Second  Choir  of  Angelicals 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height, 
And  in  the  depth  be  praise  : 

In  all  His  words  most  wonderful  ; 
Most  sure  in  all  His  ways  ! 

Woe  to  thee,  man  !  for  he  was  found 

A  recreant  in  the  fight ; 
And  lost  his  heritage  of  heaven, 

And  fellowship  with  light. 

Above  him  now  the  angry  sky, 

Around  the  tempest's  din  ; 
Who  once  had  angels  for  his  friends, 

Had  but  the  brutes  for  kin. 

O  man  !  a  savage  kindred  they  ; 

To  flee  that  monster  brood 
He  scaled  the  seaside  cave,  and  clomb 

The  giants  of  the  wood. 


THE  DREAM  OF  CERONTIUS  4;? 

Wiih  now  a  fear,  and  now  a  hope, 
With  aids  which  chance  supplied, 

From  youth  to  eld,  from  sire  to  son. 
He  lived,  and  toiled,  and  died. 

He  dreed  his  penance  age  by  age  ; 

And  step  by  step  began 
Slowly  to  doff  his  savage  garb. 

And  be  again  a  man. 

And  quickened  by  the  Almighty's  breath. 

And  chastened  by  His  rod, 
And  taught  by  Angel-visitings, 

At  length  he  sought  his  God  : 

And  learned  to  call  upon  His  name. 

And  in  His  faith  create 
A  household  and  a  fatherland, 

A  city  and  a  state. 

Glory  to  Him  who  from  the  mire. 

In  patient  length  of  days, 
Elaborated  into  life 

A  people  to  His  praise  ! 


44  THE    DREAM  OF   GERONTIUS 

Soul 

The  sound  is  like  the  rushing  of  the  wind  — 
The  summer  wind  among  the  lofty  pines  ; 
Swelling  and  dying,  echoing  round  about, 
Now  here,  now  distant,  wild  and  beautiful  ; 
While,    scattered    from    the    branches    it    has 

stirred. 
Descend  ecstatic  odours. 

Third  Choir  of  Angelicals 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 
And  in  the  depth  be  praise  : 

In  all  His  words  most  wonderful ; 
Most  sure  in  all  His  ways  ! 

The  Angels,  as  beseemingly 

To  spirit-kind  was  given, 
At  once  were  tried  and  perfected. 

And  took  their  seats  in  heaven. 

For  them  no  twilight  or  eclipse  ; 
No  growth  and  no  decay  : 


THE  DREAM  OF  GEROXTWS  45 

'Tvvas  hopeless,  all-ingulfing  night, 
Or  beatific  day. 

But  to  the  younger  race  there  rose 

A  hope  upon  its  fall ; 
And  slowly,  surely,  gracefully, 

The  morning  dawned  on  all. 

And  ages,  opening  out,  divide 

The  precious  and  the  base, 
And  from  the  hard  and  sullen  mass, 

Mature  the  heirs  of  grace. 

O  man  !  albeit  the  quickening  ray, 

Lit  from  his  second  birth, 
Makes  him  at  length  what  once  he  was, 

And  heaven  grows  out  of  earth  ; 

Yet     still     between      that      earth     and 
heaven — 

His  journey  and  his  goal — 
A  double  agony  awaits 

His  body  and  his  soul. 


46  THE  DREAM  OF  GEROXTI'JS 

A  dtaible  debt  he  has  to  pay  — 

The  forfeit  of  his  sias. 
The  chill  of  death  is  past,  and  now 

The  penance-fire  begins. 

Glory  to  Him,  who  evermore 
By  truth  and  justice  reigns  ; 

Who  tears  the  soul  from  out  its  case. 
And  burns  away  its  stains  ! 

Angel 
They  sing  of  thy  approaching  agony. 
Which  thou  so  eagerly  didst  question  of : 
It  is  the  face  of  the  Incarnate  God 
Shall  smite  thee  with  that   keen    and    subtle 

pain  ; 
And  yet  the  memory  which  it  leaves  will  be 
A  sovereign  febrifuge  to  heal  the  wound  ; 
And  yet  withal  it  will  the  wound  provoke. 
And  aggravate  and  widen  it  the  more. 

Soul 
Thou    speakest    mysteries  ;    still    methinks    I 

know 
To  disengage  the  tangle  of  thy  words  : 


THE   DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  4-/ 

Vet  rather  would  I  hear  thy  angel  voice, 
Than  for  myself  be  thy  interpreter. 

Angel 
When  then — if  such  thy  lot — thou    scest  thy 

The  sight  of  Ilim  will  kindle  in  thy  heart, 
All  tender,  gracious,  reverential  thoughts. 
Thou  wilt  be  sick  with    love,   and   yearn  for 

Him, 
And  feel    as    though    thou    couldst    but    pity 

Him, 
That  one  so  sweet   should   e'er   have    placed 

Himself 
At  disadvantage  such,  as  to  be  used 
So  vilely  by  a  being  so  vile  as  thee. 
There  is  a  pleading  in  His  pensive  eyes 
Will  pierce   thee    to    the  quick,   and    trouble 

thee. 
And  thou  wilt  hate  and    loathe    thyself;  for, 

though 
Now    sinless,  thou    wilt    feel    that    thou    hast 

sinned. 
As  never  thou  didst  feel  ;  and  wilt  desire 


48  THE   DREAM  OF  GERONTWS 

To  slink  away,  and  hide  thee  from  His  sight 
And  yet  wilt  have  a  longing  aye  to  dwell 
Within  the  beauty  of  His  countenance. 
And    these    two    pains,    so    counter   and   so 

keen, — 
The  longing  for  Him,  when  thou  seest   Him 

not  ; 
The    shame     of    self  at    thought    of    seeing 

Him, — 
Will  be  thy  veriest,  sharpest  purgatory. 

Soul 

My  soul  is  in  my  hand  :  I  have  no  fear, — 
In  His  dear  might  prepared  for  weal  or  woe. 
But  hark  !  a  grand  mysterious  harmony  : 
It  floods  me,  like  the  deep  and  solemn  sound 
Of  many  waters. 

Angel 

We  have  gained  the  stairs 
Which    rise   towards   the    Presence-chamber ; 

there 
A  band  of  mighty  Angels  keep  the  way 
On  either  side,  and  hymn  the  Incarnate  God, 


THE  DREAM  OF  GEROyTIUS  49 

Angels  ov  the  Sacred  Stair 

Father,  whose  goodness  none  can  know,  but 
they 
Who  see  Thee  face  to  fare, 
By  man  hath  come  the  infinite  display 

Of  Thy  victorious  grace  ; 
But  fallen  man — the  creature  of  a  day — 

Skills  not  that  love  to  trace. 
It    needs,    to    tell    the    triumph    Thou    hast 

wrought. 
An  Angel's   deathless  fire,  an  Angel's   reach 
of  thought. 

It  needs  that  very  Angel,  who  with  awe, 

Amid  the  garden  shade, 
The  great  Creator  in  His  sickness  saw, 

Soothed  by  a  creature's  aid, 
And  agonised,  as  victim  of  the  Law 

Which  He  Himself  had  made  ; 
For  who  can   praise  Him  in   His  depth  and 

height, 
But  he  who  saw  Him  reel  amid  that  solitary 
fight? 

D 


)  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Soul 
Hark  !  for  the  lintels  of  the  presence-gate 
Are  vibrating  and  echoing  back  the  strain. 

Fourth  Choir  of  Angelicals 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height, 

And  in  the  depth  be  praise  : 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful  ; 

Most  sure  in  all  His  ways  ! 

The  foe  blasphemed  the  Holy  Lord, 

As  if  He  reckoned  ill, 
In  that  He  placed  His  puppet  man 

The  frontier  place  to  fill. 

For  even  in  his  best  estate, 

With  amplest  gifts  endued, 
A  sorry  sentinel  was  he, 

A  being  of  flesh  and  blood. 

As  though  a  thing,  who  for  his  help 

Must  needs  possess  a  wife, 
Could  cope  with  those  proud  rebel  hosts. 

Who  had  angelic  life. 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

And  when,  by  blandishment  of  Eve, 
That  earth-born  Adam  fell, 

He  shrieked  in  triumph,  and  he  cried, 
"  A  sorry  sentinel ; 

The  Maker  by  His  word  is  bound, 

Escape  or  cure  is  none  ; 
He  must  abandon  to  his  doom, 

And  slay  His  darling  son." 

Angel 

And  now  the  threshold,  as  we  traverse  it. 
Utters  aloud  its  glad  responsive  chant. 

Fifth  Choir  of  Angelicals 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 
And  in  the  depth  be  praise : 

In  all  His  words  most  wonderful  ; 
Most  sure  in  all  His  ways ! 

O  loving  wisdom  of  our  God  ! 

When  all  was  sin  and  shame, 
A  second  Adam  to  the  fight 

And  to  the  rescue  came. 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

O  wisest  love  !  that  flesh  and  blood 

Which  did  in  Adam  fail, 
Should  strive  afresh  against  the  foe, 

Should  strive  and  should  prevail  ; 

And  that  a  higher  gift  than  grace 
Should  flesh  and  blood  refine, 

God's  Presence  and  His  very  Self, 
And  Essence  all  divine. 

O  generous  love  !  that  He  who  smote 

In  man  for  man  the  foe, 
The  double  agony  in  man 

For  man  should  undergo  ; 

And  in  the  garden  secretly. 

And  on  the  cross  on  high. 
Should  teach  His  brethren  and  inspire 

To  suffer  and  to  die. 

§  6 
Angel 

Thy  judgment  now  is  near,  for  we  are  come 
Into  the  veiled  presence  of  our  God. 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  53 

Soul 
I  hear  the  voices  that  I  left  on  earth. 

Angel 

It  is  the  voice  of  friends  around  thy  bed, 
Who  say  the  "  Subvenite  "  with  the  priest. 
Hither  the  echoes  come  ;  before  the  Throne 
Stands  the  great  Angel  of  the  Agony, 
The  same  who  strengthened  Him,  what  time 

He  knelt 
Lone   in    the    garden    shade,    bedewed   with 

blood. 
That  Angel  best  can  plead  with  Him  for  all 
Tormented  souls,  the  dying  and  the  dead. 

Angel  of  the  Agony 

Jesu  !  by  that  shuddering  dread  which  fell  on 

Thee  ; 
Jesu  !    by   that    cold    dismay  which   sickened 

Thee  ; 
jesu  !  by  that  pang  of  heart  which  thrilled  in 

Thee  ; 


54  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

Jesu  !   by  that  mount    of  sins  which  crippled 

Thee  ; 
Jesu  !   by    that    sense    of  guilt  which    stifled 

Thee; 
Jesu  !  by  that  innocence  which  girdled  Thee  ; 
Jesu  !  by  that  sanctity  which  reigned  in  Thee ; 
Jesu  !  by  that  Godhead  which  was  one  with 

Thee; 
Jesu  !  spare  these  souls  which  are  so  dear  to 

Thee, 
Who  in    prison,  calm    and    patient,  wait    for 

Thee  ; 
Hasten,  Lord,  their  hour,  and  bid  them  come 

to  Thee, 
To  that  glorious  Home,  where  they  shall  ever 

gaze  on  Thee. 

Soul 
I  go  before  my  Judge.     Ah  !  .  .  .  . 

Angel 

....   Praise  to  His  Name  ! 
The  eager  spirit  has  darted  from  my  hold, 
And,  with  the  intemperate  energy  of  love, 


'lUE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  55 

Flies  to  the  clear  feet  of  Emmanuel  ; 
But,  ere  it  reach  them,  the  keen  sanctity, 
Which  with  its  effluence,  like  a  glory,  clothes 
And  circles  round  the  Crucified,  has  seized. 
And  scorched,  and  shrivelled  it ;  and  now  it 

lies 
Passive  and  still  before  the  awful  Throne. 
O  happy,  suffering  soul !  for  it  is  safe, 
Consumed,  yet   quickened,    by  the  glance  of 

God. 

Soul 

Take  me  away,  and  in  the  lowest  deep 

There  let  me  be, 
And   there   in   hope    the   lone  night-watches 
keep, 

Told  out  for  me. 
There,  motionless  and  happy  in  my  pain, 

Lone,  not  forlorn, — 
There  will  I  sing  my  sad  perpetual  strain, 

Until  the  morn. 
There   will    I    sing,  and    soothe    my  stricken 
breast, 

Which  ne'er  can  cease 


56  THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS 

To  throb,  and  pine,  and  languish,  till  possest 

Of  its  Sole  Peace. 
There  will  I  sing  my  absent  Lord  and  Love  :— 

Take  me  away. 
That  sooner  I  may  rise,  and  go  above, 
And  see  Him  in  the  truth  of  everlasting  day. 


Angel 

Now  let  the  golden  prison  ope  its  gates, 
Making  sweet  music,  as  each  fold  revolves 
Upon  its  ready  hinge.     And  ye  great  powers, 
Angels  of  Purgatory,  receive  from  me 
My  charge,  a  precious  soul,  until  the  day. 
When,  from  all  bond  and  forfeiture  released, 
I  shall  reclaim  it  for  the  courts  of  light. 

Souls  in  Purgatory 

1.  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  refuge  :  in  every 

generation  ; 

2.  Before  the  hills  were  born,  and  the  world 

was  :  from  age  to  age  thou  art  God. 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  57 

3.  Bring  us  not,   Lord,   very  low  :  for  Thou 

hast   said,  Come  back  again,  ye  sons  of 
Adam. 

4.  A  thousand   years   before    Tliine  eyes  are 

but  as  yesterday  :  and  as  a  watch  of  the 
night  which  is  come  and  gone. 

5.  The  grass  springs  up  in  the  morning  :  at 

evening-tide  it  shrivels  up  and  dies. 

6.  So  we  fail  in    Thine  anger  :    and   in  Thy 

wrath  we  are  troubled. 

7.  Thou  hast  set  our  sins  in  Thy  sight  :  and 

our  round   of  days   in  the  light  of  Thy 
countenance. 

8.  Come  back,  O  Tord  !  how  long  :  and  be 

entreated  for  Thy  servants. 

9.  In  Thy  morning  we  shall  be  filled  with  Thy 

mercy  :  we  shall  rejoice  and  be  in  pleasure 
all  our  days. 

10.  We  shall  be  glad  according  to  the  days  of 
our  humiliation  :  and  the  years  in  which 
we  have  seen  evil. 

11.  Look,  O  Lord,  upon  Thy  servants  and  on 
Thy  work  :  and  direct  their  children. 


53  THE  DREAM  OF  CERONTIUS 

12.  And  let  the  beauty  of  the  Lord  our  God 

be  upon  us  :  and  the  work  of  our  hands, 

establish  Thou  it. 
Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and 

to  the  Holy  Ghost. 
As  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever 

shall  be  :  world  without  end.     Amen. 

Angel 
Softly  and  gently,  dearly-ransomed  soul. 

In   my   most   loving  arms    I  now  erifold 
thee, 
And,  o'er  the  penal  waters,  as  they  roll, 

I  poise  thee,  and  I  lower  thee,  and  hold 
thee. 

And  carefully  I  dip  thee  in  the  lake. 

And  thou,  without  a  sob  or  a  resistance. 

Dost  through  the  flood  thy  rapid  passage  take, 
Sinking  deep,  deeper,   into  the  dim  dis- 
tance. 

Angels,  to  whom  the  willing  task  is  given. 

Shall  tend,    and  nurse,  and  lull  thee,  as 
thou  liest ; 


THE  DREAM  OF  GERONTIUS  5,9 

And    Masses   on    the   earth,    and    prayers   in 
heaven, 
Shall  aid  thee  at  the  Throne  of  the  Most 
Highest. 

Farewell,  but  not  for  ever  !  brother  dear, 

Be    brave   and    patient   on    thy   bed    of 
sorrow  ; 
Swiftly  shall  pass  thy  night  of  trial  here, 

And  I  will  come  and  wake  thee  on  the 
morrow. 


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